Moving states for work

Maybe you are being relocated by your company to its other branch in a different state. Or maybe you’ve found a job but in a different state. The move to another state can be pretty exciting… and daunting at the same time. Between looking for a new place to live, figuring out how to get to your new place, finding a new favourite coffee joint, packing up all your stuff into boxes, and still excel at your job – that can easily stress anyone out!

Don’t worry. We are here to help with this checklist before your big move.

#1 Are there relocation benefits?
Most companies will give you some financial benefits if you are asked to work in a different state. The money should cover moving expenses and even your first month of living expenses to get settled. So before you accept the new job offer in a different state, make sure to speak to your boss about these benefits.

#2 What if there are no benefits?
Then think if the move is really worth it. You’ll have to pay for your own movers, maybe even spend extra money to travel to the new location frequently to find a new home. Will your new salary cover all these additional expenses? Will the move be good for your career? These are all important questions to ask before you sign on the dotted line.

#3 Research your new home
As soon as you know you’ll be moving, start checking out the different places you can live in. Ideally, you should live closer to work so you don’t have to worry about getting to work in a new town. Also, get a sense of how much things will cost there – will your new salary cover it if the living expenses are more (for example, moving from a smaller town to work in Kuala Lumpur). Make sure to budget for any cost-of-living changes.

You may want to plan a few trips to the new location if possible to familiarize yourself and pinpoint where the important things are located (your office, the supermarket, the bank, the hospital for example) and also to see if the neighbourhoods you’ve narrowed down to live in are safe and will make you feel at home.

Tip: Get in touch with a real estate agent there who can help you find your new home while you are still working in your old job. That takes away the bulk of your moving headache!

#4 Plan accordingly
Say you need to report to your new role in two months. Sounds like a long time to go but if you get down to it, there’s not much time left considering the things you have to do – like pack! So first things first, map out a solid plan for moving. Take into consideration your work schedule, any family concerns and maybe if it is a public holiday or the weekend when you are moving (you don’t want to be stuck in holiday traffic or be charged extra by the moving company for moving on a Saturday!).

#5 Plan your packing
This is the tough part. Our suggestion? Take what you need first to survive the first month. Then once you’ve settled in, make a few trips back to pack up everything else. This way you might not even need to hire a mover if you can take a few boxes back with you in your car every time you travel back and forth.

#6 Take care of the essentials
Cancel your membership to any gym. Get a referral from your doctor if you have medical concerns. Cancel the Internet for your old home. Forward your mail to your new address. Inform the bank of the move and your landlord if you are renting. All these take up time, but they are necessary before your big move.

#7 Get your new home ready
If you’ve already settled on a place to live at your new job, make sure it is move-in ready the minute you arrive. You don’t want to fuss about with cleaning, buying furniture, getting Internet set up. If possible, a week or two before you move it, get all of these done. Arrange for cleaners to clean and plan for the installation guys to all come on the same day or two so you can clear out your diary for them. Last thing you want is to be super busy at work when you get started and not having any free time at all to set anything up!

Got any other tips? Share it with us at @Graduan on Twitter.

Photo by Michal Balog on Unsplash